BHF London to Brighton 2013

Becca and I lost our Grandfather to heart disease when we were both far too young. I was 15, Becca just four. The British Heart Foundation was there a cause we were very keen to support this year, and as they organise the annual London to Brighton bike ride it didn't take us long to agree we would tackle it.

It's a huge event. Over 30,000 people ride the 54 miles during the day, and we saw riders with numbers above 40,000, so on  Sunday we found ourselves sharing the roads with lots of fellow fund raisers.

Becca, Chris and I at the start in Clapham

The route starts in Clapham, before heading south through the delights of south London then onto country lanes in Surrey and round Reigate. The route undulates more as you press on into East Sussex, and this was probably my favorite part of the ride, passing through classic Sussex villages with people out on the green cheering the riders on. One village even had a brass band playing.

 

Queuing for Ditchling Beacon

After 44 miles you hit the village of Ditchling, and towering above you is a sight that puts fear into many L2B riders: Ditchling Beacon. Out of the village the road climbs for just under a mile at nearly 10% average, climbing over 400ft. It's an amazing view from the top, and then you're downhill all the way to a fantastic finish along Brighton seafront. Not only that, but for us the overcast morning and spits of rain in Surrey had given way to glorious blue sky and sunshine by the time we hit the beach. 


Chris, Becca and I crossed the finish line together, which was quite an achievement considering how difficult it was to stay together with so many other cyclists. This volume of other people also led to many bottlenecks along the way, making progress slow. It's such a popular event these days that the roads simply can't cope with the volume of people, and queuing for up to 45mins became a regular part of the day. In the end it took us eight hours to make it to the Brighton seafront (for comparison, I rode nearly half the distance last night round the Chilterns in an hour and a half...).

Becca nears the top of the Beacon

One time I didn't mind queuing, though, was at the foot of Ditchling Beacon. The marshals were sending people up in batches to ensure it wasn't too congested on the ascent, which did mean that for anyone who wanted to ride up rather than push (as most people were), there was enough space on the road to do this. Becca and I did just that, as Chris would have also managed it were it not for an unfortunately timed mechanical.



We're really proud to have been able to do this in memory of our Gramps, and to have been able to join so many other people undertaking their own personal charity challenges. Our fundraising page in support of the British Heart Foundation is here.

In Brighton. For our Gramps

Back on the bike

Last week I spent some time off the bike as we headed to Asturias, northern Spain, for a family holiday. I'd been keen to visit the Picos de Europa mountains for a while, yet it was pro-cycling that helped seal the deal. Mrs M saw the spectacular scenery during the coverage of the Vuelta last year and was sold on the idea.

Our travels took us to two spots in the mountains that were stage finishes in 2012; the stunning Funete De and the long climb up to Lagos de Covadonga. We passed a number of cyclists out tackling that climb last weekend - maybe that'll be me one day? In the meantime some pro-rider names remain painted on the road up to the lakes, with local boy Cobo being popular...

Lagos de Covadonga. Great for walking, great for a Vuelta stage finish

While I was away by bike had a holiday too. It went into the newly opened Lovelo Cycle Works in Berkhamsted for a service. A good independent cycle shop will be a great addition to Berko, so I was keen to support them. It's a venture with a lot of potential, and I'm really pleased with the job they've done. The bikes felt good this week.

A glorious evening for cycling. Open roads just south of Wing, Bucks

It's been a pleasure to be back on my bike, and back in glorious early British summer weather. I've managed three rides since collecting my bike: a 15 mile warm up on Wednesday, 16 hilly miles on Thursday and then 40 miles up to Bletchley and back last night. All felt really good (which is a relief after nearly two weeks off training), and only a few Spanish meals and beers left to burn off!